Powder River Statement on Cloud Peak Bankruptcy
May 10, 2019 “In light of Cloud Peak’s bankruptcy filing, we urge the State of Wyoming and county governments to aggressively participate in the bankruptcy proceedings on behalf of miners, taxpayers, and our environment. We are concerned that these mines will be transferred to entities with even less financial ability to meet tax and clean-up […]
Conservation Groups Question Cloud Peak Energy Mine Cleanup Bonds
April 8, 2019 Billings, Mont. — Conservation groups sent a letter on Friday to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) requesting an investigation into the reclamation bonds at the Spring Creek Mine near Decker, Mont., owned by nearly-bankrupt Cloud Peak Energy. Inadequate bonding during bankruptcy could result in taxpayers picking up the tab for […]
Ramaco by the Numbers
Taking a closer look at the numbers for Ramaco’s proposed Brook Coal Mine near Sheridan. The math doesn’t add up. To read the full report, download the PDF.
Powder River Statement on New Coal Self-Bonding Rules
February 19, 2019 “Today is a proud moment for Wyoming: We now have the toughest self-bonding rules in the nation. With a 5-0 vote, the state Environmental Quality Council approved new rules limiting self-bonding of coal mines. This was a critical step allowing the state to better manage the risk of over $2 billion in […]
Powder River Files Complaint against DEQ for Public Records Act Violation
February 7, 2019 This week, Powder River Basin Resource Council (Resource Council) filed a complaint against the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) because the agency withheld documents directly related to Contura’s bond renewal for the Belle Ayr coal mine. The Resource Council’s complaint maintains that DEQ unlawfully withheld land appraisal documents directly related to […]
Powder River Breaks September – October 2018
September – October 2018, Volume 46, Number 5 Award-winning conservation photographer and author Michael Forsberg will highlight Powder River’s 46th Annual Meeting, Our Water, Our Land, Our Legacy, on Saturday, Nov. 3rd at the Sheridan Holiday Inn. Forsberg will present his work on Great Plains conservation. Additionally a selection of his photographs will be on […]
Reclaim Wyoming: Prioritize Coal Mine Reclamation
Wyoming’s coal mining legacy dates back to the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1897.1 The state is home to some of the largest coal mines on earth, including the top eight active U.S. mines. Combined, Wyoming mines account for 41% of coal production in the U.S., about the same as the next seven […]
Government Watchdog Highlights Increasing Taxpayer Cost to Cleanup Orphaned Wells
June 5, 2018 Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report that finds the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is not accurately accounting for orphaned onshore oil and gas wells, or the risk that taxpayers will have to shoulder the cleanup risks. The report, Bureau of Land Management Needs to Improve Its Data […]
Powder River Basin Resource Council Petitions Wyoming DEQ to End Self-Bonding and Protect Taxpayers and Adjacent Landowners
May 1, 2018 This week the Powder River Basin Resource Council (Resource Council) filed a formal rulemaking petition with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Land Quality Division to end the practice of self-bonding for coal mines. In order to better shield Wyoming taxpayers from having to fund mine clean-up in the event of a […]
GAO Report on Coal Mine Self-Bonding March 2018
Coal accounts for 17 percent of domestic energy production. SMCRA requires coal mine operators to reclaim lands that were disturbed during mining and to submit a financial assurance in an amount sufficient to ensure that adequate funds will be available to complete reclamation if the operator does not do so. Recent coal company bankruptcies have […]
